US soldiers who died in Iran war remembered as devoted parents and
reservists
[March 04, 2026]
By HANNAH FINGERHUT, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and REBECCA BOONE
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor was just days
away from returning home to her husband and two children when a drone
strike at a command center in Kuwait killed her and five other U.S.
service members.
“She was almost home,” her husband, Joey Amor, said from their home in
White Bear Lake, Minnesota, on Tuesday. “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking
something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it
hurts.”
Amor was one of four U.S. soldiers killed in the Iran war on Sunday and
identified Tuesday by the Pentagon; two soldiers haven't yet been
publicly identified. The members of the Army Reserve worked in logistics
and kept troops supplied with food and equipment.
They died just one day after the U.S. and Israel launched its military
campaign against Iran. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones
against Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. armed forces.
Those killed also included Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven,
Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and
Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, lowa, who was posthumously
promoted from specialist. No other names were released.
“These men and women all bravely volunteered to defend our country, and
their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll
said.
All were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, which provides food,
fuel, water and ammunition, transport equipment and supplies.
“Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it
is,” President Donald Trump said of deaths.
One of the youngest in his class
Coady had just told his father last week that he had been recommended
for a promotion from specialist to sergeant, a rank he received
posthumously.
He was one of the youngest people in his class but seemed to impress his
instructors, his father Andrew Coady said Tuesday.
“He was very good at what he did," he said.
Coady trained as an information technology specialist with the Army
Reserves and was studying cybersecurity at Drake University in Des
Moines. He was taking online classes while in Kuwait and wanted to
become an officer.
“I still don’t fully think it’s real,” his sister Keira Coady said. “I
just remember all of our conversations about what he was going to do
when he came back.”
A mother of two who loved gardening
Amor, 39, was an avid gardener who enjoyed making salsa from the peppers
and tomatoes in her garden with her son, a senior in high school. She
also enjoyed rollerblading and bicycling with her fourth-grade daughter.
A week before the drone attack, Amor was moved off-base to a shipping
container-style building that had no defenses, Joey Amor said.
“They were dispersing because they were in fear that the base they were
on was going to get attacked and they felt it was safer in smaller
groups in separate places,” he said.
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This undated photo provided by Joey Amor shows Nicole Amor, left,
and Joey Amor smiling for a photo. (Joey Amor via AP)
He last spoke to her about two hours before she was killed. He said
she was working long shifts and they had been messaging about her
tripping and falling the night before.
“She just never responded in the morning,” he said.
A calling to serve his country
Khork was very patriotic and drawn from a young age to serving the
U.S., his family said in a statement Tuesday.
He enlisted in the Army Reserve and joined Florida Southern
College’s ROTC program.
“That commitment helped shape the course of his life and reflected
the deep sense of duty that was always at the core of who he was,”
said his mother, Donna Burhans, father, James Khork, and stepmother,
Stacey Khork, in a statement.
Khork also loved history and had a degree in political science.
His family described him as “the life of the party, known for his
infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who
served alongside him and for everyone blessed to know him.”
One of Khork’s friends, Abbas Jaffer, posted on Facebook on Monday
that he had lost the best person he had ever known.
“My best friend, best man, and brother gave his life defending our
country overseas,” Jaffer said. Khork and Jaffer had been friends
for more than 16 years.
A loving father and husband
Tietjens lived with his family in the Washington Terrace mobile home
park in the Omaha suburb of Bellevue, Nebraska. He was married with
a son, according to a Facebook page.
Tietjens earned a black belt in Philippine Combatives and Taekwondo
and was “an instructor who gave his time, discipline, and leadership
to others,” the Philippine Martial Arts Alliance said in a Facebook
post.
On the mat and as a soldier, “he carried the same values: honor,
discipline, service, and commitment to others,” the organization
said.
Nebraska Gov. Gov. Pillen paid tribute to the family Tuesday.
“Noah stepped up to serve and defend the American people from
foreign enemies around the world — a sacrifice we must never
forget," he wrote.
“We are holding the Tietjens family close in our hearts during this
unbelievably difficult time and will keep them in our prayers," he
said.
___
Boone contributed from Boise, Idaho and Toropin from Washington.
Associated Press reporters Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota;
Ed White in Detroit; Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska; David Fischer in
Miami; Hallie Golden in Seattle, contributed.
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